Megalomaniac vs. monomaniacs in Syria

Megalomaniac vs. monomaniacs in
Syria

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has
a penchant for blaming outside conspirators for the troubles
in Syria.

While plausible, he is mistaken in linking
public demands for political reform with presumed plots
against his country.

His pompous speech three weeks ago on
a political resolution for the carnage in Syria was
preposterous.

After 22 months of killing and
counter-murders, Al Assad still can't see the huge gap
between what is best for his country and his dysfunctional
rule.

He, like other dictators, is far removed from
reality in "forbidden" palaces - surrounded by a culture of
professional sycophants.

Unfortunately for the people of
Syria they are caught between a megalomaniac leader and a
monomaniac, exiled opposition guiding a "revolution"
remotely from the halls of five-star hotels in foreign
capitals.

Al Assad is supported by Iran and the
self-professed "resistance block", while the opposition is a
collage of incongruous actors ranging from totalitarian
regimes, Western democracies and Al Qaeda-inspired fighters
swarming into Syria from their underground dens.

The
regime's artificial lifeline extended by Russia, China and
Iran is perpetuating the divide among the Syrian people and
disintegrating the country along ethnic and sectarian
lines.

Based on the most recent count, more than 60,000
have lost their lives and 650,000 have become refugees in
neighbouring countries.

The Syrian leader missed a great
opportunity in March, 2011 to address public protests.

He
relied instead on cruel military power to launch a crackdown
on unarmed civilians.

Since 2011, the intensity of the
conflict has grown linearly along with the growing level of
repression.

Failing to address genuine
public frustrations, Al Assad provided the golden
opportunity for foreign "conspirators" to plot against
Syria.

Irrespective, it is unfeasible for these supposed
foreign plotters to recruit millions of willing
"collaborators" to bring down their own country.

Using
Scud missiles and jet fighters against his own people simply
presents foreign "conspirators" additional incentives to
"recruit" amenable partners who seek heavy weapons to match
the regime's tools of oppression.

Meanwhile, the
international community is in no hurry to help put an end to
the internecine fratricide.

While Russia wants to maintain
a sphere of influence on the Mediterranean shores, Israel's
(and therefore the Western) agenda is to prolong the
conflict until Syria's military capabilities are destroyed
and its people are polarised in a quagmire of mutual
hate.

In 1982, Zionist protagonists commissioned by The
World Zionist Organisation published "A Strategy for Israel
in the Nineteen Eighties".

The document states: "The
dissolution of Syria... into ethnically or religiously
unique area... is Israel's primary target."

It also stated
that breaking up Syria's military power was "the primary
short term target".

Consciously or unintentionally, Al
Assad and the opposition are contributing equally to
Israel's 30-year-old vision to destroy the Syrian army and
to bring about the fragmentation of Syria.

Regardless of
the conqueror, Syria - even if it remains united - will
emerge as a devastated nation that relies on international
benefactors to rebuild its infrastructure and economy.

As
such, Syrians will lose their bona fide national
independence and their country will become a vassal state at
the mercy of donor countries.

Instead of these bizarre
jamborees pledging money to fuel the fighting, the
international community (Russia and the West) must take
concrete steps to compel Al Assad to dismantle his feared
security apparatus and help establish a transitional
government led by the home-based opposition, who remain
steadfast to their convictions of non-violence.

Russia
needs to realise that Al Assad is part of the problem, not
the solution.

The West must also recognise that the
detached, five-star hotel denizens have no tangible
credibility at home either.

To paraphrase the speech by
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius at a Paris conference
this week, escalating the conflict will only allow
"extremism and terrorism" to prevail.

But to Israel's
delight, the outcome of the conflict will leave the US and
Russia, next to the people of Syria, as the biggest
strategic losers.

*************

Jamal Kanj (www.jamalkanj.com) writes a weekly
column on Arab issues and is the author of “Children of
Catastrophe,” Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to
America. This article was first published by the Gulf Daily
News
newspaper.

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